Located in the Shiga Prefecture, Japan, Framing House by Form / Kouichi Kimura Architects is a contemporary Japanese home displaying a minimalist design and a distinct black&white exterior. The owners’ brief required the new building to accommodate an art gallery, along with inviting living spaces. This is how the architects responded to the challenge: “The characteristic passage laid out from the street through the back of the building functions as the line of flow to the habitable space and the gallery. The passage frames the courtyard connected to the back of the house, offering interesting visual perspectives of the exterior.”The name of the residence is inspired by its original layout: “While the spaces are separated and independent from each other, the framed openings created on the wall allow continuous sightline between these interiors. The openings have been designed so that the residents feel the atmosphere from the other rooms while